To rank Austin cerebral palsy lawyers for 2026, this evidence-based list weighs practice focus and published results, alongside reviews and professional standing.
With its medical malpractice focus and published $8 million birth injury settlement, Hastings Law Firm leads this list. Before you call, use our Texas malpractice guide to start checking how Texas's filing rules apply, who will review your child's delivery records and what costs you might owe.
4.752 Google reviewsRated 4.7 out of 5 on Google from 52 reviews
Best for: Families seeking malpractice-focused representation
An $8 million birth injury settlement is among Hastings Law Firm's published results. Founded in 2005 by Tommy Hastings, the firm focuses on medical malpractice and addresses cerebral palsy on its site. Its other published results include a $19.75 million failure-to-diagnose settlement and a $10.7 million negligent-prescribing jury verdict.
Stood out in our review for how much of its work is medical malpractice and the results it publishes.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.482 Google reviewsRated 4.4 out of 5 on Google from 82 reviews
Best for: Complicated delivery and brain injury
According to Winckler, Harvey & McConnell, LLP, a physician failed to perform a cesarean section during a complicated delivery, leaving twin babies with brain damage. At intake, families can ask about that published case. Although the account gives no recovery amount, the firm's site also covers cerebral palsy and HIE.
Stood out in our review for the recognition it has earned and how much of its work is medical malpractice.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.9247 Google reviewsRated 4.9 out of 5 on Google from 247 reviews
Best for: Families prioritizing clear communication
When describing Zinda Law Group, clients often mention prompt responses and clear explanations of the legal process. With 247 reviews behind its 4.9 Google rating, it has more feedback than the other firms on this list. Not all reviews are positive: some describe administrative mistakes and follow-up problems.
Stood out in our review for the recognition it has earned and what its clients say.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
Not sure who to call first?
Tell us what happened. A malpractice lawyer who serves Austin can look at it with you, and it costs nothing.
4.2122 Google reviewsRated 4.2 out of 5 on Google from 122 reviews
Best for: VA and military malpractice concerns
With VA and military medical malpractice among its practice areas, Archuleta Law Firm identifies Dr. Michael Archuleta as a doctor-lawyer. When discussing a cerebral palsy claim, families can ask how that background helps with reviewing the medical issues involved. Within its malpractice work, the firm's site covers cerebral palsy as well as birth injury.
Stood out in our review for how much of its work is medical malpractice.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
5.075 Google reviewsRated 5.0 out of 5 on Google from 75 reviews
Best for: Child injury and wrongful death
Alongside wrongful death, birth injury and medical malpractice, Sneed handles child injury claims as well as catastrophic injury claims. Because its site also covers cerebral palsy, families can ask how that claim fits into the firm's broader injury work. Niles Sneed and Brit Mitchell founded the firm together.
Stood out in our review for what its clients say and how much of its work is medical malpractice.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
When you speak with the lawyer, provide the delivery date and treatment or hospitalization dates. With no general discovery rule, Texas generally sets a 2-year filing deadline. Does your child's age change that deadline? Ask.
Review the records
To assess your concern, which delivery notes and other records would the lawyer need? Before the firm decides whether to take the claim, ask who'll review those records and what medical input it would seek.
Decide whether to file
Before proceeding on the lawyer's recommendation, discuss the complaint: that's the court filing that starts the lawsuit. Because the child's diagnosis doesn't necessarily determine it, check the applicable deadline. Before you commit, have the lawyer explain the fee agreement.
Serve the expert report
After each defendant files an answer, Texas requires an expert report and CV for that defendant within 120 days. If that requirement isn't met, dismissal with prejudice and fees follow. You can't refile a claim dismissed with prejudice.
Discuss the path toward resolution
Before a possible settlement or trial, what still needs to happen? Ask. Alongside caps on non-economic damages in health care liability claims, Texas has a separate inflation-indexed total-damages cap in death cases. Nobody promises a completion time.
Malpractice claims in Austin: the rules that matter
The filing deadline in Texas
The clock startsOn the day of the treatment
Time to start a claim2 yearsMiss it and the claim is usually lost.
At the very most10 yearsafter the treatment, with a few exceptions
Limits on damages in Texas
Pain and sufferingCapped at $250,000
All damages togetherNo overall cap
Expert paperworkServe an expert report and CV for each defendant within 120 days after that defendant's answer is filed; failure leads to dismissal with prejudice and fees.
A written agreementThe share the lawyer takes, set out before work starts.
If you recover moneyThe agreed share and the case costs come out of it.
If the claim failsNo legal fee on a contingency agreement. Ask about costs.
If a claim fails, there's no lawyer's fee under the contingency arrangement Four listed firms describe; otherwise, the lawyer takes a share of any recovery. A free consultation is offered. Beyond the lawyer's fee, case expenses can include records and medical opinions, along with court fees. If there's no recovery, the listed terms don't explain who owes those expenses, nor do they say who advances them. Before signing, ask about that. Have the firm explain the lawyer's share and expense payments in writing, including how it would deduct both from any recovery.
The consultation is free, all five listed firms say. Four also report working on contingency fees.
What to bring to your first call
Dates for the treatment that concerns you, plus your child's birth date
Hospital records already in your possession, including the delivery notes
Which hospitals and clinicians were involved, by name
Your child's cerebral palsy diagnosis as described in records
What happened and when you learned about it, set out in a written timeline
Any related insurance correspondence to go with medical bills
Messages or letters from the hospital addressing concerns you've raised
What you want to ask about fees, communication and next steps
Questions to ask a lawyer
1When circumstances resembled ours, which cerebral palsy or birth injury claims did you handle?
2Who would work on our file, including reviewing the delivery records?
3How do Texas's filing rules apply given our child's age and treatment dates?
4To meet the expert-report requirement, how would you obtain and serve reports?
5During your free consultation, what would you review?
6If there's no recovery, who pays case expenses, and how is your fee calculated?
7When we need answers or updates, who would we hear from?
8Without suggesting we'd get the same result, what can you tell us about comparable cases you've handled?
Choosing a cerebral palsy lawyer in Austin
Your child's care should come before the firm's largest recovery. If the delivery events concern you, ask whether the lawyer has handled claims like yours and who would examine the hospital chart. While Hastings Law Firm publishes a birth injury settlement, Winckler, Harvey & McConnell, LLP describes twins' complicated delivery. When discussing those examples, don't treat them as predictions of what will happen in your family's case.
Ask about the actual file review
Before I hire the firm, can I speak with the lawyer who will read the delivery notes?
To assess our concern, what additional records would you need, and who would request those records?
For each defendant, how would you obtain the expert report and CV required by Texas?
After intake, who will answer my questions, and if that person isn't reachable, what should I do?
Seek specific answers. Even if positive communication reviews help you prepare questions, you need to talk with the person who'll handle your file. Some feedback describes follow-up or intake problems at Zinda Law Group and Archuleta Law Firm. If the firm uses an automated intake system, ask how your first-call information reaches the attorney; that handoff is worth asking about in any case.
Separate the lawyer's fee from case expenses
Because all listed firms say they offer a free consultation, discussing your concern doesn't come with a consultation charge. What review does that cover? Four also say they work on contingency: if the claim fails, there's no lawyer's fee; otherwise, that fee comes from a recovery. When asking about costs, separate court fees from what you'll pay for records and medical opinions. Before signing, have the firm put the payment terms in writing.
If someone promises a recovery or pushes you to sign before explaining fees, be wary. If nobody clearly explains who handles the expert report, that's also a reason to pause. After each defendant files an answer, Texas requires service within 120 days. This gives general information, not legal advice. When your lawyer explains the rules for your family, another client's result shouldn't be presented as a promise.
Questions people ask
Which Austin firm leads this cerebral palsy lawyer list?
The ranking puts Hastings Law Firm first. With medical malpractice as its focus, the firm also discusses cerebral palsy on its site. Among its published results is an $8 million birth injury settlement. Since its founding in 2005, it has also published results involving diagnosis and prescribing errors. Although past recoveries can't predict your family's case, ask about claims involving circumstances like your child's.
How long do we have to file a cerebral palsy malpractice claim in Texas?
With no general discovery rule for these claims, Texas generally requires filing within 2 years of the breach or completion of treatment or hospitalization. Under the statute, there's also a 10-year outer limit. A separate age rule covers children's claims. Rather than calculate the deadline from the diagnosis alone, have a Texas lawyer check the dates.
Does a child have more time to bring a claim?
If a child is under 12, Texas's rule allows filing until the fourteenth birthday. Regardless of age, the 2-year rule applies otherwise. Don't take that to mean every child's claim can wait until adulthood. When you give a Texas lawyer your child's birth date and relevant treatment dates, ask which rule applies.
Can we speak with a lawyer without paying for the first consultation?
All five listed firms say the consultation is free. Winckler, Harvey & McConnell, LLP and Zinda Law Group also state that they work on contingency, as do Archuleta Law Firm and Sneed. Hastings Law Firm's listed terms don't confirm contingency fees. Ask what the consultation includes and whether reviewing records would carry a separate charge.
What does a Texas malpractice claim need from a medical expert?
After each defendant files an answer, Texas requires service of an expert report and the expert's CV for that defendant within 120 days. If that requirement isn't met, dismissal with prejudice and fees follow. Before proceeding, ask who'll arrange the reports and how the firm pays for them. Which records would the lawyer need? You'll want to ask that, too.
What should we do before contacting an Austin firm?
When noting the delivery date and treatment that concerns you, also write down when your child received the diagnosis. If you already have records, gather them together, including delivery notes and correspondence from the hospital. What else does the lawyer need? Ask on the first call. Before you collect every document, have someone check the filing deadline; don't put that off.
How long will a cerebral palsy malpractice case take?
An estimate of how long these firms take to complete a case isn't supported here. Although Texas's 120-day expert-report requirement sets a procedural deadline after a defendant answers, that isn't a deadline for ending the case. When asking what needs to happen next, also ask how the lawyer will keep you updated. If someone promises a finish date at intake, be wary.
Does Texas limit what a family can recover?
In Texas health care liability claims, non-economic damages are capped. Although the applicable amounts aren't stated here, death cases have a separate inflation-indexed cap on total damages. To understand any possible recovery, ask a Texas lawyer which limits apply to your claim and how they affect it. A firm's published settlement isn't a measure of what your own family might recover.
What if our child or another loved one died?
When you first call, tell the lawyer about the death and provide the relevant care dates. In death cases, Texas applies a separate inflation-indexed cap to total damages. Among the listed firms addressing wrongful death are Winckler, Harvey & McConnell, LLP and Sneed. To check who may bring a claim and which deadlines apply, ask a Texas lawyer.
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